MACON, Ga. — A Minnesota hockey player is recovering from surgery Tuesday after suffering a cervical spine injury while skating in a minor league contest over the weekend.

Justin Thompson grew up in Oakdale and was skating for the Macon Mayhem in Macon, GA, when it happened during the third period of Saturday night's game.

"I was going in on a forecheck and a puck came towards me," said Thompson from his hospital bed in Macon after surgery. "I tried to dodge it and took a weird jump, and then a weird bump from it, and I went in hard into the boards and it was not intentional. Just a bad bounce and when I hit the boards, I couldn't really feel my right leg or right arm. "

Teammate Alex Cohen was on the ice when it happened and said, "Just took a scary bounce into the boards and it was

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